A   DISCOURSE 


PREACHED    AT    THE 


DEDICATION  OF  THE  CHAPEL 


AT 


LAFAYETTE  COLLEGE, 


MARCH  12,  1873, 


BY 


REV.    S,    A.    GAY  LEY, 

President  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  Lafayette  College. 


PRINTED   BY  ORDER  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 


EASTON,    PENN'A. 
1873. 


A  DISCOURSE 


PREACHED    AX   THE 


DEDICATION  OF  THE  CHAPEL 


AT 


LAFAYETTE  COLLEGE 


MARCH  12,  1873, 


BY 

REV.    S.    A.    GAY  LEY, 

President  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  Lafayette  College. 


PRINTED  BY  ORDER  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES, 


EASTQN,    PENN'A. 
1873. 


c 


DISCOURSE 


w  Now  will  I  sing  to  my  well-beloved  a  song  of  my  beloved  touching  his  vine- 
yard. My  well-beloved  hath  a  vineyard  in  a  very  fruitful  hill.  And  he 
fenced  it,  and  gathered  out  the  stones  thereof,  and  planted  it  with  the 
choicest  vine,  and  built  a  tower  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  also  made  a  wine- 
press therein:  and  he  looked  that  it  should  bring  forth  grapes,  and  it 
brought  forth  wild  grapes.  And  now,  0  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  and  men 
of  Judah,  judge,  I  pray  you,  betwixt  me  and  my  vineyard.  What  could 
have  been  done  more  to  my  vineyard,  that  I  have  not  done  in  it?  Where- 
fore, when  I  looked  that  it  should  bring  forth  grapes,  brought  it  forth  wild 
grapes  ?" — Isaiah  v.  1 — 4. 

The  prophet,  by  this  parable  of  a  vineyard,  in  selecting  for  it 
a  favorable  site,  "on  a  fruitful  hill,"  in  the  thorough  prepara- 
tion of  the  soil,  gathering  out  the  stones  thereof,  in  fencing  it 
in,  planting  it  with  the  choicest  vine,  building  a  tower  in  its 
midst,  and  in  making  a  wine-press  in  it,  presents  the  complete- 
ness of  the  Divine  provision  made  for  Israel. 

As  the  husbandman  who  has  exercised  so  much  care  and 
attention,  and  bestowed  so  much  labor  upon  his  vineyard,  has 
reason,  in  the  natural  course  of  things,  to  expect  suitable 
returns  as  the  reward  of  his  expenditure,  so  the  prophet  teaches 
that  God,  wTho  had  made  such  provision  for  Israel,  having 
omitted  nothing,  in  the  arrangements  of  his  grace,  calculated 
to  promote  their  spiritual  fruitfulness,  in  fidelity  to  himself  and 
obedience  to  his  will,  had  reason  to  expect  corresponding  fruits. 
Nothing  had  been  left  undone  that  divine  wisdom  could  devise 
and  divine  goodness  provide;  but  when  he  looked  for  his  vine- 
yard to  bring  forth  grapes,  it  brought  forth  wild  grapes.  With 
propriety  he  asks,  "What  could  I  have  done  more  for  my  vine- 
yard that  I  have  not  done  to  it?" 

The  application  of  the  passage  is  obvious,  and  needs  no 
lengthy  exposition.  The  truth  inculcated  is  that  when  God 
has  furnished  means  and  opportunities  for  moral  and  spiritual 
improvement,  he  justly  looks  for  corresponding  fruits.  To 
whom  much  is  given,  from  them  much  is  required. 

Leaving  this  obvious  application  of  the  passage,  my  object 


will  be  to  point  out  the  adaptation  of  the  system  of  truth 
revealed  iri  the  Bible,  and  of  the  instituted  means  of  grace  to 
the  nature  and  wants  of  man,  or  the  completeness  and  suita- 
bleness of  the  arrangements  of  divine  grace  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  divine  purpose  in  his  salvation. 

The  salvation  of  fallen  man  is  the  clearly  expressed  purpose 
which  God  designs  to  accomplish  by  the  gospel.  As  he  is 
infinitely  wise,  the  means  selected  to  accomplish  this  end  must 
have  a  wise  adaptation  to  human  nature,  which  they  are 
designed  to  influence.  This  is  simply  to  ascribe  to  him  the 
attribute  of  intelligence  which  we  must  accord  to  a  being  who 
possesses  in  himself  the  sum  of  absolute  perfection.  It  is  but 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  contents  of  the  revelation  he 
has  given  us  as  the  appointed  means  of  our  salvation,  have  a 
special  adaptation  to  our  nature,  which  they  are  designed  to 
purify,  ennoble,  and  exalt  to  communion  with  himself. 

The  examination  of  this  revelation  cannot  fail  to  convince 
every  unbiassed  mind  of  its  eminent  suitableness  to  meet  man's 
intellectual  and  moral  wants,  and  to  influence  him  to  the  love 
and  service  of  God. 

1.  The  character  of  God,  as  revealed  in  the  Bible,  meets 
the  demands  of  our  nature  for  a  supreme  being  to  worship  and 
serve. 

The  being  of  God  is  the  primary  truth  in  morals  and  reli- 
gion. The  demand  for  such  a  being  is  the  imperative  and 
most  controlling  instinct  of  our  nature. 

The  history  of  the  race  conclusively  proves  that  man  must 
have  a  God  to  worship,  fear,  and  serve,  and  to  whom  he 
can  resort  for  assistance  in  times  of  pressing  need.  In  the 
absence  of  the  clear  revelation  of  the  true  God,  he  makes  one 
for  himself,  by  a  deification  of  the  forces  manifest  in  nature, 
to  which  he  ascribes  personality  and  perfection,  whom  he 
makes  lord  of  his  conscience,  and  to  whom  he  renders  the 
supreme  homage  of  his  heart.  The  universality  of  this  fact, 
that  man,  wherever  found,  and  in  whatever  state  of  civilization 
and  enlightenment,  has  some  being  or  beings  whom  he  wor- 
ships, fears,  and  serves,  and  which  controls  his  life,  evinces  the 
imperativeness  of  this  demand  of  human  nature  for  a  God. 
But  whilst  these  false  deities  of  the  heathen  in  a  measure  meet 
and  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  conscience  and  the'heart,  they 
do  not  fully  satisfy   the  urgent  moral  wants  of  man.      The 


enlightened  and  inquiring  of  the  heathen,  in  every  age,  felt 
and  expressed  their  dissatisfaction  with  the  popular  systems  of 
religion,  and  their  unbelief  in  the  gods.  Earnest  and  thought- 
ful minds  ever  realized  their  insufficiency  to  satisfy  the  deep 
yearnings  of  their  souls. 

But  the  God  of  the  Bible,  as  self-existent  and  eternal,  as 
embodying  in  himself  the  sum  of  absolute  perfection,  the 
Creator  of  all  things,  the  supreme  Governor  of  the  universe, 
and  the  final  Judge,  dispensing  retributive  justice  to  the  bad 
and  rewarding  the  good,  clothed  with  the  attributes  of  omnipo- 
tence, majesty,  justice,  and  holiness,  meets  in  the  fullest  sense 
the  demand  of  our  nature  for  a  being  who  will  inspire  us  with 
feelings  of  reverence  and  fear,  and  as  an  object  worthy  of  our 
worship  and  obedience.  Moreover,  his  love,  mercy,  sympathy 
with  mankind,  considered  not  as  a  mere  physical  force,  nor  as 
the  vital  principle  in  nature,  nor  as  an  unconscious  and  unin- 
telligent absolute  Being,  inseparable  from  the  universe,  but  as 
an  extramundane,  personal  God,  standing  in  intimate  relations 
to  man  and  to  all  human  affairs,  upholding  all  things,  and  gov- 
erning all  his  creatures  and  all  their  actions,  and,  moreover 
revealed  in  the  character  of  a  Father,  and  especially  as  mar 
fested  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ, — able  to  sympathize  w* 
us  in  affliction,  to  succor  lis  in  need,  to  provide  for  our  neces- 
sities, to  guide  us  in  perplexity,  and  as  the  hearer  of  prayer, 
the  demand  of  the  affections  and  our  sense  of  absolute  depen- 
dence are  fully  met.  The  God  of  the  Bible,  in  his  sterner 
attributes  of  power,  majesty,  justice,  and  holiness,  meets  the 
demands  of  the  conscience  and  of  those  moral  instincts  that 
demand  an  object  of  worship  and  reverence,  whilst  the  milder 
features  of  his  character  satisfy  the  demand  of  the  affections 
for  a  being  worthy  of  supreme  love.  ,His  revealed  character, 
when  apprehended  by  the  enlightened  mind,  is  felt  to  corres- 
pond to  the  conscious  instincts  of  our  nature,  and  to  him  the 
supreme  homage  of  the  soul  and  the  affections  of  the  heart  are 
cheerfully  and  voluntarily  rendered.  In  him  the  soul  finds  its 
counterpart,  its  centre,  and  its  rest.  Its  language  is,  uHe  is 
all  my  desire. " 

2.  The  Bible,  as  a  revealed  system  of  positive  and  infallible 
truth,  is  suited  to  the  nature  of  the  human  mind. 

The  religious  history  of  the  race  clearly  demonstrates  that 
systems  of  morals  and  religion  have  never  been  embraced  as 


the  deductions  of  the  reason.  True,  there  have  been  instances 
of  attempts  to  construct  philosophic  systems  based  on  purely 
rational  principles ;  but  these  speculative  systems  have  ever  failed 
to  take  any  extensive  hold  upon  the  human  mind.  The  masses 
never  embraced  them.  The  various  religious  systems  of  hea- 
thenism have  been  received  as  positive  and  infallible  revelations 
of  the  gods.  All  heathen  sects  have  their  sacred  books  or 
traditions,  which  are  '  regarded  as  embodying  the  doctrines, 
precepts  and  rites  given  by  special  revelation,  and  as  such,  are 
they  received  as  authoritative  and  infallible  as  a  rule  of  faith 
and  practice.  Thus  the  Vedas  of  the  Hindoo,  the  Zencl-avesta 
of  the  Parsees,  the  sacred  books  of  the  Buddhists,  the  Koran 
of  the  Mohammedans,  and  the  unwritten  traditions  of  the 
unlettered  African,  are  received  as  positive  divine  revelations, 
and  not  because  they  have  been  tested  and  approved  of  by 
human  reason.  This  fact  which  is  everywhere  observed,  evinces 
the  tendency  of  the  human  mind  and  its  imperative  demand 
for  a  positive  and  infallible  system  of  revealed  truth,  for  an 
authority  that  is  divine,  as  a  foundation  of  its  faith. 

Religion  and  morals  have  respect  to  a  being  superior  to  our- 
selves; hence  the  religious  element  of  our  nature  instinctively 
leads  us  to  look  to  a  superior  being  as  the  authoritative  source 
of  a  system  of  religion  and  morals. <  The  human  mind  cannot 
give  its  homage  to  any  system  that  is  regarded  as  of  human 
origin,  without  doing  violence  to  its  instincts  and  the  laws  of 
its  operation.  It  imperatively  demands  a  revelation  that  is 
divine,  on  which,  without  doubt  and  uncertainty,  faith  may 
steadfastly  rest,  and  the  anxious  and  agitated  soul  may  find 
repose.  Rationalism,  by  its  indefiniteness  and  uncertainty, 
offers  no  secure  refuge  to  the  weary  spirit.  It  is  like  the  broad 
and  agitated  deep  on  which  the  dove  of  Noah  could  find  no 
resting-place,  but  had  to  return  again  to  the  ark;  so  the  wearied 
soul  of  man  has  ever  turned  away  from  its  unsatisfying  specula- 
tions, and  sought  refuge  in  the  ark  of  what  was  regarded  as 
divine  revelation. 

But  moreover,  religious  truth  necessarily,  from  its  very 
nature,  involves  the  supernatural,  and  contains  mysteries  trans- 
cending the  comprehension  of  the  human  mind,  and  which 
cannot  be  tested  at  the  bar  of  reason,  but  which  can  only  be 
received  by  simple  faith.  Thus  every  consideration  of  the 
nature  of  the  subject,  of  the  mind,  its  most  intense  instincts 


and  its  clearly  developed  tendency,  demonstrate  that  nothing 
but  a  divinely  revealed  positive  system  of  truth  can  satisfy  its 
demands.  The  truth  embodied  in  the  Scriptures,  revealed  by 
Jehovah,  who  is  infinite,  eternal  and  unchangeable,  meets  and 
satisfies  the  demands  of  our  nature.  There  is  in  its  author 
the  highest  authority  and  most  consummate  wisdom,  spotless 
purity  and  undoubted  veracity,  which  answer  the  requirements 
of  faith.  That  supreme  authority  as  the  foundation  of  religious 
faith,  which  the  unenlightened  ascribe  to  their  divinities,  is 
here  found  in  the  fullest  sense,  in  the  author  of  the  Bible. 

The  contents  of  this  revelation,  too,  are  wisely  adapted  to 
the  human  mind,  in  that  they  instruct  man  in  those  things 
which  satisfy  his  earnest  inquiries,  and  meet  the  felt  necessities 
of  his  religious  nature.  The  character  of  God,  man's  relation 
to  Him  and  his  fellow-men,  the  duties  springing  therefrom,  how 
he  may  serve  God  acceptably  and  secure  his  favor;  and  above 
all,  it  opens  to  him  the  future,  unfolds  the  life  of  happiness  and 
glory  that  remains  for  those  who  acceptably  serve  God  here, 
and  the  darkness,  misery  and  eternal  wretchedness  that  await 
those  who  serve  Him  not. 

It  covers  the  whole  field  of  moral  and  religious  thought  and 
inquiry,  and  furnishes  positive,  definite,  and  satisfactory 
answers  to  the  deepest  and  most  urgent  yearnings  of  the  soul. 
Whilst  human  speculation  leaves  man's  anxious  and  agitated 
spirit  tossed  upon  a  shoreless  sea  of  uncertainty,  and  overhung 
with  dark  and  gloomy  clouds,  that  exclude  the  light  of  day, 
the  Bible  opens  to  it  a  haven  of  peace  and  security,  light,  and 
joy,  and  rest  forever. 

3.  The  duties  it  inculcates  and  enforces  commend  themselves 
to  the  enlightened  conscience.  Conscience  is  that  faculty  which 
judges  of  the  moral  quality  of  actions.  It  spontaneously  gives 
its  approbation  to  what  it  perceives  to  be  right,  and  its  disap- 
probation to  what  it  perceives  to  be  wrong.  In  its  decisions  it 
is  not  arbitrary,  but  has  respect  to  a  law  as  a  standard  of  moral 
action,  which  it  simply  executes.  This  law  is  regarded  as  the 
enactment  of  an  authoritative  and  competent  Lawgiver;  one 
that  is  not  human,  but  divine.  Man,  from  the  moral  instincts 
of  his  nature,  cannot  accord  to  a  fellow-mortal  supreme  lord- 
ship over  his  conscience,  and  receive  from  him  a  law  to  regulate 
his  moral  conduct. 

Conscience,  in  a  special  sense,  is  that  principle  or  faculty 


which  binds  man  to  a  superior  being,  and  produces  in  him  the 
feeling  of  moral  dependence  upon  a  higher  power.  It  demands 
a  divine  being  to  whom  it  cheerfully  accords  the  prerogative  of 
lordship,  and  the  right  to  prescribe  a  rule  of  moral  action,  and 
which  it  spontaneously  enforces.  Its  dictates  harmonize  with 
accepted  moral  law. 

The  conscience  of  the  heathen  enforces  the  law  conceived  as 
given  by  the  gods,  to  whom,  in  their  ignorance  of  the  true  God, 
they  have  given  their  allegiance.  If  conscience  enforces  a 
false  morality,  it  is  because  of  its  blindness  and  ignorance  of 
a  purer  law,  as  its  dictates  are  in  accordance  with  its  light. 
The  God  of  the  Bible,  who  is  infinite  in  perfection,  and  is 
revealed  as  moral  governor  and  final  judge,  meets  the  demand 
of  the  conscience  as  Lord  and  Lawgiver.  The  moral  code 
revealed  in  the  Scriptures  commends  itself  to  the  enlightened 
conscience,  and  its  duties  accord  with  its  innate  or  intuitive 
perceptions  of  justice  and  of  right.  It  is  perceived  to  be  a 
comprehensive  and  perfect  rule  of  moral  action,  and  however 
much  the  heart,  in  its  attachment  to  sin,  may  be  opposed  to  the 
law  of  God,  yet  the  conscience  regards  it  as  holy,  just,  and 
good,  and  lifts  its  voice  in  testimony  in  its  behalf.  The  con- 
science of  even  the  most  abandoned  profligate,  and  of  the  most 
decided  sceptic,  gives  its  approbation  to  the  purity  of  the 
morality  inculcated  in  the  Bible.  However  widely  their  con- 
duct may  be  at  variance  with  its  precepts,  there  is  still  within 
them  the  voice  of  conscience,  bearing  witness  in  its  favor,  wThose 
utterances  cannot  be  altogether  silenced.  The  seal  is  no  more 
perfectly  adapted  to  the  wax  upon  which  it  leaves  its  impress, 
than  are  the  precepts  of  this  divine  law  to  man's  moral  nature. 
Nor  more  certainly  does  the  musical  instrument  respond  to  the 
skilful  touch  of  the  accomplished  performer,  than  the  enlight- 
ened conscience,  in  feelings  of  approbation  to  the  duties  it 
enjoins.  It  is  seen  to  be  authoritative  as  the  law  of  the  great 
King  with  wThom  we  have  to  do,  and  to  be  perfect,  holy,  just, 
and  good. 

4.  The  revelation  contained  in  the  Bible  is  adapted  to  the 
affections.  Whilst  the  intellect  has  respect  to  the  true,  the 
conscience  to  the  right,  the  heart  or  affections  have  respect  to 
what  is  good.  The  affections  demand  something  to  admire  and 
love,  something  to  embrace.  A  revelation  whose  design  is  to 
meet  human  wants,  and  to  effectually  influence  man  for  good, 


to  bring  him  in  character  and  life  into  harmony  with  the  divine 
nature  and  will,  and  that  would  overlook  the  claim  of  the 
affections,  would  necessarily  be  incomplete,  inasmuch  as  the 
most  important  part  of  man's  nature  would  be  unprovided  for. 
The  affections  are  in  a  more  special  sense  the  seat  of  character 
and  of  power.  There  reside  the  forces  that  determine  volition, 
and  are  the  spring  of  human  action.  "  Out  of  the  heart  are  the 
issues  of  life."     "  As  a  man  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he." 

In  this  respect  the  truths  contained  in  the  Bible,  and  espe- 
cially the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  are  wisely  suited  to  our 
nature.  In  the  God  of  the  Bible,  not  inaccessible  to  us,  dwell- 
ing in  eternal  solitude,  as  a  mere  spectator  of  his  works,  but  in 
intimate  relations  to  us,  as  He  in  whom  we  live,  and  move, 
and  have  our  being, — as  our  Father,  possessing  in  an  infinite 
degree  the  characteristics  of  an  earthly  parent;  a  God  of 
love,  mercy,  compassion,  goodness;  of  tender  sympathy,  and 
interest  in  our  welfare,  there  is  not  only  everything  to  admire, 
but  everything  to  expel  distrust,  and  to  engage  the  choicest 
affections  of  the  heart.  But  it  is  as  He  is  revealed  to  us 
in  Christ  Jesus,  and  as  manifested  in  his  perfect  life  of 
righteousness,  in  his  self-sacrificing  love  for  our  sake,  in  his 
.  tender  and  large  sympathies  with  us  in  our  alienation,  weak- 
ness, sorrows,  and  diversified  trials,  that  He  specially  com- 
mends himself  to  man,  not  only  as  worthy  of  his  deepest  grati- 
tude, but  of  his  fervent  love.  In  the  gospel  there  is  revealed 
the  most  ample  provision  for  our  spiritual  need.  It  furnishes  a 
satisfactory  answer  to  the  pressing  inquiry  of  the  soul,  "How 
shall  man  be  just  with  God?"  in  a  way  that  satisfies  the 
enlightened  mind,  and  the  demands  of  the  conscience,  and 
brings  peace  and  satisfaction  to  the  heart.  There  is  an  anti- 
dote for  'every  ill,  a  balm  for  every  wound,  and  a  cordial  for 
every  fear;  light  in  darkness,  strength  in  weakness,  joy  in 
sorrow,  deliverance  from  temptation,  and  every  form  of  evil; 
protection  from  every  danger,  and  victory  in  every  conflict.  In 
a  word,  all  the  good  that  man  can  possibly  desire,  and  which 
can  fill  the  soul  with  the  highest  joy  and  fullest  satisfaction,  is 
revealed  and  promised  in  the  gospel.  It  spreads  before  man, 
not  the  dry  and  innutritious  husks  of  human  systems,  but  a  rich 
and  satisfying  feast — a  feast  of  fat  things,  full  of  marrow;  of 
wTines  on  the  lees  well  refined. 

5.  Bat  further,  the  Scriptures  contain  every  motive  that  is 


10 

adapted  to  influence  man  to  right  action.  Man  is  generally 
influenced  in  his  conduct  by  conviction  of  duty,  fear  of  evil,  or 
the  hope  of  reward.  Would  we  influence  human  action?  we 
appeal  to  some  or  all  of  these  principles.  So  God  in  dealing 
with  man  has  not  overlooked  the  constitution  he  has  given  him 
as  a  free  agent,  nor  the  laws  of  the  human  mind.  He  aims  to 
influence  him  in  a  rational  way,  by  bringing  motives  to  bear 
upon  him,  and  thereby  sway  the  principles  of  human  action. 
In  the  Bible  there  is  everything  in  the  explicit  revelation  of 
the  divine  law  to  convince  man  of  duty,  and  to  enforce  the 
obl:gation  of  a  virtuous  and  holy  life;  and  in  the  character 
of  God,  as  clothed  with  omnipotence,  rigid  justice  and  spotless 
holiness,  who  cannot  abide  iniquity,  and  will  by  no  means  spare 
the  guilty,  in  his  dread  threatenings  against  all  ungodliness, 
and  in  disclosing  a  judgment  to  come,  and  the  doom  of  the 
wicked  to  the  endless  torments  of  hell,  there  is  everything  to 
operate  upon  his  fears,  to  deter  him  from  perseverance  in  the 
ways  of  sin. 

So  also  in  the  mercy  and  compassion  of  God,  the  free  offer 
of  forgiveness  and  reconciliation  through  the  Redeemer,  the 
promise  of  divine  grace  in  every  time  of  need,  and  in  drawing 
aside  the  veil,  and  giving  a  glimpse  of  the  perfect  bliss  and 
joy  and  glory  of  heaven,  as  the  reward  of  a  life  of  godliness, 
there  is  every  motive  to  allure  him  into  the  paths  of  true  holi- 
ness. In  a  word,  there  is  every  motive  addressed  to  man  in 
the  gospel,  that  in  a  rational  way  is  calculated  to  sway  the 
conscience  and  the  heart,  to  detach  him  from  sin,  and  influence 
him  to  the  love  and  practice  of  true  holiness. 

6.  Man  is  not  left  to  the  mere  influence  of  truth  and  the 
force  of  motives,  for  so  strong  is  the  reigning  power  of  sin  in 
his  heart,  that  no  force  of  argument  or  of  motive  could  avail  to 
effect  a  change  in  his  character  and  life.  There  is,  in  addition 
to  all  this,  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  office  is  to  inter- 
pret the  truth,  and  to  make  it  bear  with  greater  power  than 
the  mere  force  of  argument  upon  the  understanding  and  the 
heart.  The  Spirit,  with  an  energy  that  is  divine,  brings  home 
the  truth  with  convincing  power  to  the  mind,  and  wields  the 
appeals  with  impressive  effect  upon  the  conscience  and  the 
heart,  to  influence  man  to  turn  away  from  sin;  and  to  allure 
him  to  a  life  of  piety  and  virtue.  The  truth  in  itself,  however 
perfect  in  its  adaptation  to  man's  intellectual  and  moral  nature, 


11 

and  however  well  suited  to  influence  him  for  good,  yet  through 
the  darkness  of  his  mind  and  the  deadness  of  his-  heart,  is 
inefficacious  to  salvation.  But  in  the  hand  of  the  divine  Spirit, 
it  is  light,  and  life,  and  power. 

Lastly.  We  would  notice  the  adaptation  of  the.  means 
whereby  the  truth  is  brought  into  contact  with  the  mind,  which 
we  have  in  the  sanctuary  and  its  ordinances,  and  a  living 
ministry. 

I.     The  house  of  God. 

(1.)  This,  in  connection  with  the  Sabbath,  furnishes  the 
opportunity  for  religious  culture.  In  the  pressing  engagements 
of  worldly  business  and  occupations  of  daily  life,  engrossing 
his  attention,  man  thinks  but  little  and  reflects^  less  upon  his 
spiritual  destiny.  But  within  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  courts 
of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  withdrawn  from  the  whirl  of  business, 
the  engrossing  cares,  the  agitations  and  conflicts  of  life,  the 
sacredness  of  the  associations,  the  solemn  services  of  divine 
worship,  and  the  messages  of  God's  truth,  are  calculated  to 
recall  him  from  his  forgetfulness  of  his  moral  accountability, 
to  force  upon  him  calm  and  serious  reflection,  and  to  arouse 
him  to  a  sense  of  duty  to  his  God  and  to  his  own  soul.  With- 
out stated  times  and  a  place  for  worship,  and  religious  instruc- 
tion, the  truth,  however  wTell  adapted  to  man's  spiritual  nature, 
would  be  almost  powerless  for  good.  The  end  for  which  it  is 
given  would  be  defeated.  There  is  in  the  human  heart  such 
an-obstinate  disinclination  to  give  attention  to  spiritual  things, 
that  only  by  frequently  bringing  to  bear  upon  him  the  power 
of  divine  truth,  is  he  led  to  the  consideration  of  his  spiritual 
condition.  The  sanctuary  is  the  complement  of  the  truth;  it 
gives  completeness  to  the  system  of  means  for  effecting  man's 
spiritual  regeneration. 

(2.)  It  is  adapted  to  man's  social  nature.  Man  is  a  social 
being;  his  sphere  of  action  is  in  association  with  his  fellows. 
His  social  nature  in  a  great  measure  moulds  and  shapes  his 
whole  being.  Through  it  is  he  most  effectually  influenced  for 
either  good  or  evil.  His  associations  leave  their  indelible 
impress  upon  his  character.  Companionship  with  the  immoral 
and  depraved  brings  him  to  their  own  level,  whilst  association 
with  the  good,  tends  to  lift  him  up  to  the  same  plane  of  virtue 
and  morality.  It  is  also  a  matter  of  observation  and  expe- 
rience, that    mankind   in    masses    are    more   easily   and  more 


12 

effectually  impressed  and  influenced  than  in  isolation,  which 
demonstrate  the  power  of  the  social  feelings,  and  of  that  electric 
and  subtle  power  of  sympathy  communicated  from  heart  to 
heart  by  association.  To  make  no  provision  for  man's  social 
nature,  would  be  to  overlook  the  most  effectual  means  to  influ- 
ence him  for  his  spiritual  good.  This  is  provided  for  in  the 
institution  of  the  sanctuary,  a  place  of  public  assemblage, 
wherein  the  services  of  prayer  and  praise,  and  under  the  dis- 
pensation of  the  truth,  heart  in  contact  with  other  hearts,  the 
social  feelings  have  the  fullest  play,  and  are  influenced  for  the 
highest  spiritual  ends. 

(3.)  But  further,  the  sanctuary  is  the  depository  of  spiritual 
power.  This  not  merely  from  its  sacred  associations  and  ordi- 
nances of  worship,  which  of  themselves  have  a  moral  influence, 
but  because  it  is  the  residence  of  the  Great  King.  Not  in  the 
cloud  as  in  the  temple,  but  in  the  presence  and  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Zion  is  his  seat.  This  renders  the  ordinances 
of  worship  not  a  mere  empty  ceremonial,  but  vehicles  of 
spiritual  power  to  the  soul,  and  makes  the  truth  the  rod  of 
divine  strength  for  subjugating  the  heart  to  the  supreme  love 
and  service  of  Jehovah.  It  is  the  chosen  instrumentality  for 
awakening  the  dead  soul,  and  producing  repentance  and  cul- 
turing  it  for  the  heavenly  world. 

II.  In  connection  with  the  house  of  God,  is  the  living 
ministry.  Divine  truth  must  not  only  be  revealed  through 
the  medium  of  the  human  mind — be  cast  in  the  forms  of  human 
thought  and  embodied  in  human  language,  that  man  may 
apprehend  it ;  but  the  living  teacher  is  God's  special  ordinance, 
to  bring  the  truth  to  bear  with  the  greatest  power  upon  his 
mind  and  heart.  This  was  his  ordinance  in  the  old  as  well  as  it 
is  in  the  new  dispensation.  In  the  old,  the  religious  instruction 
of  Israel  was  not  left  exclusively  or  chiefly  to  the  priests  and 
Levites,  who  were  mainly  occupied  with  the  performance  of  the 
rites  of  worship.  It  was  chiefly  entrusted  to  the  prophetical 
order.  A  few  of  these  possessed  the  extraordinary  gift  of 
inspiration  for  the  communication  of  new  truth,  but  the  ordi- 
nary function  of  even  these,  as  well  as  of  the  great  body  of  the 
prophets,  was  that  of  teaching,  inculcating  and  enforcing  upon 
the  people  the  moral  and  religious  truths  delivered  by  Moses. 
It  was  by  their  ministry  that  the  truth  was  kept  before  the 
people,  that  their  minds  were  leavened  by  its  influence,  and 


13 

that  Israel  fulfilled  her  high  mission,  which  was  to  maintain 
and  to  give  the  true  religion  to  the  world.  The  method  of 
their  teaching  was  by  oratory,  free  and  direct  addresses  to  the 
people,  bringing  the  truth  in  fresh  and  living  contact  with 
their  minds. 

In  the  new  dispensation,  God's  ordinance  for  making  his  truth 
most  effective  to  accomplish  its  great  end — man's  moral  and 
religious  elevation — is  the  living  ministry,  whose  prototype  is 
not  the  priesthood,  but  the  prophetic  order  of  the  old  dispensa- 
tion. Their  great  function  is  not  to  perform  ceremonies— it  is 
higher  and  more  spiritual — it  is  to  preach  the  gospel.  They 
are  stewards  of  the  mysteries  of  God,  ambassadors  for  Christ. 
Their  office,  like  that  of  the  prophets  of  old,  is  to  expound, 
inculcate,  and  enforce  the  truths  contained  in  the  Scriptures ; 
to  bring  them  in  living  contact  with  the  human  mind. 

In  the  selection  and  ordination  of  this  instrumentality  for 
making  divine  truth  effective  in  influencing  mankind,  divine 
wisdom  had  respect  to  human  nature.  There  is  in  man  such  a 
disinclination  to  spiritual  things,  that  left  to  himself,  though 
possessed  of  the  sacred  Scriptures,  they  would  remain  unpe- 
rused.  Their  truths  must  be  repeatedly  brought  before  him,  to 
secure  and  enlist  his  attention.  He  must  have  line  upon  line, 
and  precept  upon  precept,  which  can  only  be  done  by  an  order 
of  men  set  apart  for  this  purpose.  Israel,  notwithstanding  the 
ordinances  of  the  temple,  and  though  possessed  of  the  law  given 
by  Moses,  would  have  lapsed  into  idolatry,  but  for  the  ministry 
of  the  prophets.  And  so,  still,  the  Bible  would  be  compara- 
tively powerless,  but  for  the  labors  of  the  ministry.  In  those 
portions  of  our  land  where  there  is  not  the  living  spiritual 
teacher,  ignorance  and  moral  darkness  reign,  and  there  is  moral 
and  spiritual  degradation. 

But  the  living  voice  is  the  most  effective  means  of  bringing 
the  truth  to  bear  with  the  greatest  power  upon  the  soul  in  pro- 
ducing conviction,  exciting  feeling,  and  in  arousing  men  to 
action.  The  truth  on  the  printed  page,  like  the  light  of  the 
stars,  may  be  clear,  but  it  is  cold,  w7hilst  as  uttered  by  the 
living  man,  it  is  like  the  light  of  the  sun,  not  only  clear,  but 
warm  and  life-giving.  There  is  in  the  eye,  the  voice,  and  the 
expression  of  feeling  and  passion  in  the  living  teacher,  that 
which  imparts  a  persuasive  and  impressive  power  to  the  truth 
uttered,  which  no  other  means  possesses.    All  experience  proves 


14 

the  superior  efficacy  of  this  means  to  influence  and  sway  the 
mind  and  heart  of  man.  The  demagogue  employs  it  as  the 
most  effective  instrument  for  accomplishing  his  selfish  ends, 
and  the  errorist  as  the  most  successful  means  of  propagating  his 
faith;  so  it  is  God's  chosen  instrumentality  for  man's  salvation. 

We  have  thus  endeavored  to  point  out  the  completeness  of 
the  adaptation  of  divine  revelation  to  man's  intellectual,  moral, 
and  religious  nature,  and  of  the  means  whereby  the  truth  may 
be  brought  the  most  effectively  to  bear  upon  him,  to  detach  him 
from  sin,  and  influence  him  to  the  service  of  God;  to  lift  him 
from  his  moral  degradation  and  wretchedness,  and  raise  him  to 
fellowship  with  his  God,  in  endless  happiness  and  joy.  Through- 
out the  whole  there  may  be  traced  a  wisdom  that  is  infinite,  a 
hand  that  is  divine.  In  view  of  this  subject,  we  may  well  ask 
with  the  prophet,  What  could  God  do  more  for  man  that  He 
has  not  done?     If  unsaved,  he  is  without  excuse. 

In  conclusion,  as  suggested  by  the  occasion,  we  wTould  notice 
the  importance  of  the  chapel  in  its  relation  to  the  college. 

The  college,  however  complete  its  appointments  in  other 
respects,  yet  if  there  be  no  provision  for  divine  worship  and 
religious  instruction,  is  incomplete  in  its  agencies  to  give  to 
youth  the  highest  culture.  The  halls  for  secular  instruction 
and  the  chapel  for  spiritual,  are  complements  of  each  other, — 
are  necessary  parts  of  a  complete  system  of  means  for  training 
youth  for  the  greatest  usefulness.  The  influences  that  go  forth 
from  the  chapel  are  advantageous  in  various  ways.  The  daily 
devotional  exercises  and  the  exposition  of  divine  truth  are 
favorable  to  intellectual  activity  and  progress.  By  their  silent 
influence  upon  the  conscience,  developing  the  sense  of  moral 
obligation,  and  by  repressing  the  evil  impulses  of  the  heart  and 
calming  the  agitations  of  the  soul,  the  mind  is  brought  into  a 
frame  better  fitted  for  patient  thought  and  earnest  investiga- 
tion. But  divine  truth,  by  its  purity  and  the  sublime  themes 
it  presents  for  consideration,  furnishes  a  healthy  stimulus  to 
thought,  which  tends  to  invigorate  the  mental  powers.  It  pro-' 
vides  the  purest  and  most  wholesome  pabulum  for  the  mind, 
which  is  conducive  to  its  health  and  vigorous  activity. 

But  not  only  as  the  handmaid  of  intellectual  development  is 
the  influence  of  religious  worship  and  instruction  valuable,  but 
in  a  higher  sense,  as  the  direct  means  of  spiritual  culture. 
Man  is  not  merely  an  intellectual,  but  a  moral  and  religious 


15 

being.  A  system  of  education  that  does  not  recognize  the 
latter  must  be  defective.  Mere  intellectual  development  and 
acquirements  are  not  the  highest  desiderata,  but  rather  these 
conjoined  with  high  moral  and  religious  culture.  The  highest 
type  of  scholarship  is  Christisn  scholarship.  Mere  secular 
learning,  divorced  from  religion,  is  not  only  defective,  but  its 
tendencies  are  atheistic.  Not  only  the  immortal  interests  of 
the  youth  are  immediately  and  directly  concerned,  but  indi- 
rectly the  interests  and  the  welfare  of  society,  in  the  religious 
instruction  of  the  college.  The  educated  classes  hold  the  posts 
of  influence  in  the  community;  they  impress  upon  society  their 
own  sentiments  and  their  own  character.  The  colleges  where 
their  characters  are  formed  are  the  great  fountains  of  influence, 
and  how  important  that  they  be  leavened  with  divine  truth  and 
evangelical  piety. 

The  college  and  the  university  have  ever  been  mighty 
instruments  for  the  propagation  of  either  truth  or  error. 
Through  the  universities  in  Germany,  rationalism  spread  its 
baleful  influence  over  the  land,  sapping  the  foundation  of  true 
religion.  In  France,  through  the  influence  of  the  materialistic 
philosophy  in  the  universities,  there  resulted  social  disorganiza- 
tion and  atheism.  In  the  Reformation  they  were  the  most 
potent  agencies  for  the  diffusing  of  its  principles.  They  wer$ 
centres  of  light  and  power. 

Let  our  colleges  be  leavened  with  infidelity,  be  seats  of  error, 
and  in  time  the  land  will  be  flooded  with  impiety  and  irreligion. 
The  influence  of  the  college  is  not  even  second  to  that  of  the 
Christian  church,  as  from  the  college  the  ranks  of  the  ministry 
are  filled,  who  bear  the  impress  of  its  teachings,  and  reproduce 
it  in  the  sentiments  and  character  of  the  people.  The  influ- 
ence of  the  college  is  far-reaching;  it  is  felt  in  every  hamlet 
and  cottage  of  the  land.  Every  social  and  religious  interest 
is  deeply  concerned  in  the  religious  character  of  our  colleges. 

This  Institution  from  its  foundation  has  been  distinguished 
for  the  prominence  given  to  God's  holy  word  and  the  religious 
influence  exerted  upon  its  students.  It  was  founded  in  the 
interests  of  true  religion,  and  was  consecrated  with  prayer. 
Dr.  Hodge  has  said,  "The  character  of  an  institution  is  deter- 
mined by  the  character  of  its  first  teachers,  who  infuse  into  it 
their  owTn  spirit,  and  impress  their  own  character  indelibly 
upon  it."     The  first  President  of  this  College  was  a  man  whose 


16 

piety  was  deep,  ardent,  and  evangelical,  who  ever  magnified 
the  word  of  God  in  his  instructions,  and  who,  as  much  as  any 
man,  left  his  impress  upon  his  students.  Few  left  these  halls, 
under  his  administration,  if  not  truly  pious,  without  at  least  a 
reverence  for  the  word  of  God  and  a  respect  for  true  religion. 

The  Institution  still  retains  the  same  character.  Men  of 
like  spirit,  of  deep  and  ardent  piety,  and  sound  in  the  faith, 
have  succeeded  to  its  administration,  men  who  ever  exalt  God's 
truth,  and  seek  the  highest  spiritual  interests  of  her  students. 
She  has  the  preeminence  of  being  the  first,  in  our  land,  to 
elevate  the  Bible  to  be  a  text-book  in  her  curriculum.  She 
has  honored  God,  and  God  has  honored  her,  in  giving  her 
almost  unprecedented  success,  and  above  all,  in  the  copious 
effusion  of  his  Spirit  upon  her  students. 

And  this  chapel,  which  we  this  day  set  apart  to  its  holy 
mission,  evinces  the  determination  of  her  friends,  Trustees,  and 
Faculty  to  maintain  her  Christian  character  and  her  high 
standard  of  sound  Christian  culture.  Long  may  she  enjoy 
this  preeminence,  and  .ever  prove  a  fountain  of  blessing  to  our 
country,  to  the  Church,  and  to  the  world. 

But  I  would  simply  add,  that  this  edifice,  though  like  Zion 
of  old  beautiful  for  situation,  with  its  chaste  architecture,  the 
beauty  of  its  adornments,  and  the  completeness  of  its  appoint- 
ments for  comfort  and  convenience,  and  even  with  a  learned, 
able,  and  eloquent  ministry  occupying  its  desk,  will  be  nothing 
unless  it  be  the  residence  of  the  Great  King.  This  will  be  its 
greatest  glory.  The  presence  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
can  only  make  it  in  the  truest  sense  a  place  of  prayer,  and 
impart  to  the  truth  here  dispensed  a  saving  power.  No 
external  appliances  can  compensate  for  lack  of  this.  But  with 
His  presence,  the  ordinances  here  administered  will  be  instinct 
with  light,  life,  and  power. 

And  may  we  not  in  this  auspicious  hour  breathe  the  prayer, 
"Come,  Lord,  take  possession  of  this  house  and  fill  it  with 
thy  glory." 


!S»!  " OF  '^'no's-urbJ™ 


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